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2.12 How to choose where to locate an adverb
The rules regarding where to locate adverbs are not difficult to understand, but there
are many of them. Here are some basic rules. For more detailed rules see the com-
panion volume English for Research: Usage, Style, and Grammar.
most one-word adverbs, particularly adverbs of frequency
(a) Immediately before the main verb.
Dying neurons do not usually exhibit these biochemical changes.
The mental functions are slowed, and patients are often confused.
(b) Immediately before the second auxiliary when there are two auxiliaries.
Language would never have arisen as a set of bare arbitrary terms if …
Late complications may not always have been notified.
(c) After the present and past tenses of ‘to be’
The answer of the machine is always correct.
The adverbs only and also, which are two of the most frequently used adverbs in
research papers, follow the above rules (a–c).
For special emphasis, some adverbs (sometimes, occasionally, often, normally, usu-
ally
) can be placed at the beginning of a sentence,
Normally
X is used to do Y, but occasionally it can be used to do Z
adverbs of certainty
Adverbs of certainty (e.g. probably, certainly definitely) come immediately before
the negation (not and contractions e.g. don’t, won’t, hasn’t)
These random substitutions will probably not have a major effect.
adverbs of manner
An adverb of manner indicates how something is done. They are generally placed
directly after the verb, or after the direct object
The curve rises steadily until it reaches a peak at 1.5.
This will help system administrators considerably to reboot the system.
Some adverbs of manner can go before the verb. But, since all adverbs of manner
can always also go after the verb or noun it is best to put them there and then you
will never make a mistake.
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2 Word Order
adverbs of time
These go in various positions.
S1. Patients were treated once a week, and surgery was carried out as soon as possible after the
decision to operate.
S2. * There has recently been an increasing interest in 3D cellular phones.
S3. * Recently there has been an increasing interest in 3D cellular phones.
S4. * In the last few years there has been an increasing interest in 3D cellular phones.
S2–S4 are very frequently found as the first sentence in an Abstract or an Introduction.
Because of this frequency and because they delay the subject of the sentence (3D
phones), such beginnings have a very low impact. They are better replaced with:
S5. 3D cellular phones have recently become the focus of considerable interest.
adverbs of consequence and addition
Your aim is to try to put the subject at the beginning of the sentence. So if possible
try to delay adverbs that indicate a consequence or add further support to a positive
situation. Thus S1 and S2 below would normally be better rewritten as S3 and S4.
S1. * For this reason / It follows that / As a consequence / As a result, it is not a good idea to
use the old system.
S2. * The new system should be used. In addition, it should be integrated with all the data from
the previous project.
S3. The old system should thus / therefore / consequently not be used.
S4. The new system should be used. It should also be integrated with all the data from the
previous project.
If several sentences in sequence begin with a link word or phrase, this makes the
paragraph very tedious for the reader.
adverbs of contrast and other link words
Link words that indicate a contrast (e.g. however, nevertheless, in contrast) can be
used at the beginning of the sentence. The information they give is crucial to the
reader - they immediately tell the reader that there is going to be a change in direc-
tion of the logical flow of the paragraph. In contrast, link words that simply describe
a consequence continue the flow rather than break it.
Other link words that are best placed at the beginning of a sentence are those that:
enumerate points (
•
firstly, secondly, finally
)
add further negative support to a negative concept (
•
moreover
)
indicate a concession or begin an explanation (
•
since, although, despite the fact
)
indicate an alternative (
•
alternatively
)
attract attention or express some kind of emotion (
•
surprisingly, intriguingly,
regrettably, unfortunately
)
specify (
•
specifically, in particular
) - however in most cases these can simply
be deleted
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2.14 Do not insert an adjective between two nouns or before the wrong noun
The words listed above are generally followed by a comma:
Firstly, the component is subjected to …
Interestingly, few works have examined …
Some link words tend to go in the middle of a sentence:
This tool costs $400, whereas that tool costs $300.
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